Blake undertook the 21 illustrations to ‘The Book of Job’ in the final years of his life as the result of commission from the painter John Linnell. The prints are based on a series of watercolours that Blake had executed between 1805 and 1810 but they do not include the elaborate borders and inscriptions seen in the engravings. The Bible story describes Job as a righteous man who persisted in his faith in the Lord through all manner of afflictions and punishments and was rewarded in the end for his steadfastness. Blake was fascinated with story of Job and identified with his struggles. His engravings offer a highly original interpretation of the story rather than merely illustrating the biblical text.